The Best Royal Jewels of 2019: #8 (A Very Royal Garter Day)

We continue our countdown of the best royal jewelry moments of 2019 with an especially sparkly June day in Windsor…

#8: A Very Royal Garter Day

King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands were made Knights of the Garter in 2017 and 2018, and on Garter Day 2019, they arrived with their queens to be officially invested as part of the order.

The Queen posed for portraits at Windsor Castle with both royal couples before the Garter service. King Felipe, here with the Queen and Queen Letizia, received the Garter during the Spanish state visit in July 2017.

Queen Letizia dazzled in important royal diamonds for the occasion. Along with a diamond floral brooch, she wore the enormous diamond earrings from the joyas de pasar collection — earrings that originally belonged to a British princess, Queen Ena.

King Willem-Alexander, posing here at Windsor Castle with the Queen and Queen Maxima, received the Garter during the Dutch state visit in October 2018.

Queen Maxima wore her colorful gem-set button earrings for the service, along with diamond and pink gemstone pieces that she wore on the day her husband became king.

The British royals also dipped into their jewelry boxes for some excellent pieces. The Queen wore Queen Mary’s Cluster Earrings with her Garter robes.

The rest of the ladies of the House of Windsor were also regally accessorized, including the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore the pearl drop earrings that belonged to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. (See all the royal jewels from the day here!)

Delightfully, the Dutch royal couple extended their visit by a day so that they could also attend the first day of the races at Royal Ascot.

Queen Maxima sparkled mightily in Dutch heirloom diamonds, including these earrings, which are made using clusters from the Stuart Tiara.